Chapter 274
Chapter 274
Clan Establishment (3)
In a room illuminated by a small lamp.
It was so cramped that even two people could barely fit, and an unpleasant smell stung the nose.
A slight smell of burning and blood.
And… The stench of decay.
A terrible rotting odor was vibrating inside the room.
And the source of that smell was, of course, corpses.
The ‘sacrifices’ that were densely filling this space.
“Even with management, it’s in this state.”Aquilen frowned and covered his nose as soon as he entered the room.
He had tried to manage it by embalming, but not being an expert, it couldn’t be perfect.
Still, it was fortunate that he had filled the required number.
Having met the quota for corpses, now if he could just fill the living quota, he could finish the task assigned by the vice-master of the faction.
“Ah, here you are.”
As he was briefly inspecting the room, a man with a vile expression entered following Aquilen.
The man was a temporary subordinate hired for this mission.
He wasn’t an ‘Escapee’ member like Dave or Aquilen, but a kind of thug Holder called an Outholder.
Whether there’s trash everywhere or not, even after <Villain> was wiped out, there were still guys who would commit crimes if paid.
Thanks to them, this job was being resolved quite smoothly.
“Sir, the task you assigned is almost complete. Hehe.”
“When will it be finished?”
“Well~ This group was lured with direct trades of items and magic stones, so we should be able to kidnap them on the trade day in a few days. Especially this time, there are many high-quality ones, so you can look forward to it.”
Moreover, since they were guys who didn’t think about the consequences, the kidnapping of Holders could proceed rather easily.
At the man’s flattery that the quality was particularly good this time, Aquilen let out a snicker.
Tak-
And he threw a pouch that was on one side to him.
It was the balance of the request fee set for this job.
“Contact me when you finish the job. I’ll check it personally.”
The heavy request fee felt weighty just by holding it.
Confirming this, the man broke into a broad smile.
Then he kept bowing his head to Aquilen as he answered.
“Yes, yes! Of course!”
The man left the room, bowing so low his waist might break.
Left alone, Aquilen took out a cigarette in the room reeking of decay.
Cigarettes were the favorite indulgence he had come to enjoy the most after ‘escaping’ to Earth.
“Soon… It will be concluded.”
And he thought, muttering into the air.
When the preparations for both living and dead sacrifices are complete…
The plan would move to the implementation stage.
His superior, Dave, was not one to make mistakes in such matters, and Aquilen was not one to cause problems in a plan he had put so much time into.
The plan that the Ludenark faction had been preparing for a long time.
It was the preparation for the ‘escape’ of the faction leader ‘Flinklo’.
***
Ippotranslation
***
“Hmm….”
A heavy tension overflows in the room.
I quietly swallowed with a face more tense than ever before.
Although I had experienced such confrontations many times, there had never been a day when I felt such pressure.
It was that important a discussion, with complex interests intertwined.
“Juyeon, you go out.”
“…Again?”
Kang Juyeon, who was beside me, frowned.
It’s quite a rare expression for her.
She probably got a bit annoyed at being told to leave the room again, after staying quietly in her seat without saying a word since the conversation started.
“This is an important talk. I need to have it alone with my son-in-law.”
Kang Woo-hyun drew the line with a firm face.
His words made me think for a moment.
‘…He’s just calling me son-in-law now.’
I did mention before that I was considering marriage, but the change in how he addressed me felt too natural.
Anyway, Kang Woo-hyun issued a rare expression of dismissal.
But this time, Kang Juyeon didn’t back down easily.
“…It’s related to me. I want to talk together too.”
“Hey now!”
The atmosphere in the room instantly turns cold.
The dad who would listen to anything his daughter said…
And the daughter who always followed her dad’s words without question.
The moment when the two were in opposition for the first time was so chilly that it was hard to even breathe properly up close.
Even I, the actual party to the conflict, couldn’t easily intervene in the situation.
“It’s not just related to you. You’re the only successor to the Judgment of Fire and a senior clan member. Do you really not know what it means to transfer such a core personnel to a newly established clan?”
“……”
There was nothing wrong with Kang Woo-hyun’s words.
This is probably what I would have heard if we were left alone.
An act that could become a seed of discord just by attempting it.
An act considered to have no business ethics between clans.
An act that could be seen as virtually hijacking….
It wouldn’t be strange if Kang Woo-hyun’s anger was at its peak.
“…Still, I want to go to Jae-hyun’s clan.”
“Kang Juyeon!”
Finally, Kang Woo-hyun’s voice struck loudly in the room.
Even Kang Juyeon seemed quite surprised by her dad’s shout, not having expected it.
‘…This won’t do.’
I sensed it was time to carefully intervene.
Stepping in here might further provoke his anger, but I didn’t want the father-daughter relationship to worsen purely because of my selfishness and actions.
“Father-in-law, please calm down a bit.”
“You stay out of this.”
The sharp words I heard from him for the first time.
It hurt a little, but it was okay.
I continued speaking slowly without being flustered.
“There’s a way that both you and Juyeon can compromise.”
“……”
At those words, I felt Kang Woo-hyun’s emotions calming slightly.
After quietly catching his breath, he met my gaze.
“What is it?”
“We form an alliance between the clan I’ll create and your clan.”
…An alliance?
At that unexpected word, Kang Woo-hyun asked back, and Kang Juyeon’s face also became puzzled.
This was natural, as I hadn’t mentioned this option to her either.
I briefly left my seat and walked towards the whiteboard in the room.
Then, I started drawing large diagrams with a board marker.
“It’s easier if you think about the relationship our circle had with Anti-Villain before, and the relationship you currently have with the Men’s Term clan.”
<Judgment of Fire> maintained a close cooperative relationship with <Anti-Villain> last year, and as part of that relationship, they dispatched the entire ‘Hunting Team 5’ to lead the operation to success.
The friendly relationship with the <Men’s Term> clan is similar.
Even now, quite a few <Judgment of Fire> clan members are dispatched to Japan.
In the state of the highest friendly relationship, a clan member temporarily transferring becomes a kind of ‘temporary assignment’, so there’s no problem.
“I need Juyeon right now, and Juyeon also wants to join the clan I’m creating. But this is just about being together for the initial formation of the clan, not about leaving Judgment of Fire forever. Isn’t that right, Juyeon?”
I turn my gaze as I finish speaking.
Kang Juyeon also carefully nods in response.
She too had a strong desire to be with me, but probably didn’t intend to recklessly give up her position as the heir of <Judgment of Fire>.
I looked back into Kang Woo-hyun’s eyes and said, “So let’s form a friendly relationship with our clan and send Juyeon in the form of a dispatch. Then both of our concerns will be resolved, and outsiders won’t view this as a merger.”
What Kang Woo-hyun is worried about is the disappearance of the clan’s heir.
And as a result, the natural absorption and merger of <Judgment of Fire>.
That’s obviously something the clan members of <Judgment of Fire> don’t want, and neither Juyeon nor I have even thought about it.
Juyeon just wanted to be there at the moment I establish the clan.
“The term is 2 years. We’ll be together until Juyeon graduates.”
“…2 years, huh.”
As a specific term came up, Kang Woo-hyun stroked his chin.
It was a very reasonable and desirable proposal.
Even with a brief consideration, there was no reason to refuse.
Especially for him, who adores his daughter dearly, fighting with her for a long time would be quite unbearable.
Probably Kang Woo-hyun was also very uncomfortable with the current situation where they unintentionally became confrontational.
In that respect…
This solution, which could satisfy both father and daughter, was too attractive.
“Alright. I accept the friendly clan proposal.”
Finally, Kang Woo-hyun gave a positive sign.
At the same time, both my and Kang Juyeon’s expressions brightened.
Although there were still complicated procedures left for the friendly agreement, it felt like we had overcome the biggest hurdle.
***
Ippotranslation
***
“A friendly clan…”
The same conversation took place at <Royal>.
Here, not only Moon Jeong-hyuk but another man was present.
Hwang Geon-wook.
The clan master of <Royal> and an S-grade Holder of the warrior class.
Also, as Moon Jeong-hyuk’s brother-in-law and Moon Ga-eun’s uncle, he was a middle-aged man.
He was quite composed and rational, considering my proposal without being swayed by emotions.
“Not bad.”
Fortunately, the result was positive.
To be honest, I think it’s an effective plan too.
No matter how senior a clan member or heir to the clan they are, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun are still student Holders who haven’t graduated from the academy yet.
So regardless of how talented they are or how outstanding their skills are… Itmeans they must be at the academy for 2 years during non-vacation periods.
In this situation, to temporarily join a new special clan that receives full support from the academy and guarantees free activity?
It was a dispatch that could secure both fame and practical benefits.
“But Holder Do Jae-hyun. There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“Please ask.”
“This proposal, did you perhaps go to Judgment of Fire with it as well?”
Hwang Geon-wook’s sharp intuition activated.
It was a widely known fact that I was in a relationship with not only Moon Ga-eun but also Kang Juyeon.
It was a reasonable deduction that I would have naturally gone to <Judgment of Fire> first for Kang Juyeon’s sake.
To this, I nodded and answered.
“That’s correct. We’ve already completed the friendly clan agreement with Judgment of Fire.”
“I see.”
Hwang Geon-wook, as if he had heard the most important information.
With a confident face, he smiled and extended his hand to me.
“Good. Let’s have Royal join as well. I’d like to make the agreement today without fail.”
In Hwang Geon-wook’s eyes as he said this…
Some kind of inexplicable competitive spirit was swirling.
I looked at Moon Ga-eun beside me with a perplexed gaze, but she also had a face that didn’t understand what was going on.
And then….
-Hello, Holder Do Jae-hyun. I am An Hojin, the head of the secretarial team for the Dragon Sword Clan. Our clan master wishes to meet with you, Holder Do Jae-hyun, so I’m taking the liberty of contacting you like this. It’s regarding discussions about forming a friendly alliance with the new clan you’re establishing.
A text message from an unfamiliar number.
It was a message from the secretary of Song Do-hyuk, the master of the <Dragon Sword> Clan.
And the topic of the meeting was, as expected, about the friendly clan agreement.
Right after finishing the agreement with <Royal>.
<Dragon Sword> clung on as if competing.
‘No, is this even something to compete over?’
I stared at my phone with an astounded face.
I had put in effort and thought to recruit Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun as initial members, but for some reason, other clans were actively reaching out to our clan.
‘We haven’t even started establishing yet….’
Some unexpected pressure starts to weigh on my shoulders.
If this, by any chance.
If the clan establishment falls through, it would be a big problem.
Now it was truly a stage where I couldn’t back down.
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